10 Responses to

1. Roberto Luongo – there are going to be so many better goalies available over the course of the next 2 or 3 years, why is there this urgency to move young assets for him right now? Because he’s the missing piece to our Stanley Cup puzzle? I’ll take my chances on free agency and get someone better without moving the young assets. That’s it I don’t want to debate this one to death any longer.

2. I would move Bozak or take him off the Kessel line. Try Kadri up there, the ceiling is higher, the skill set is higher, and if it doesn’t work out we’ll draft higher.

I would find it hard to beleive that you would be willing to wait the season to find a top notch goalie. If the leafs had a goalie life Luongo they would win more games, their d would be more confident and they would be a better overall team.

I don’t disagree. But then Luongo is the guy for the next 2-4 years at least. If we’re taking on that kind of financial commitment, then we’ll definitely give him the reigns for a few years. Unfortunately the Leafs are (if they build properly) at least a few years away from being contenders. Why is there an urgency to add a pricey veteran goalie at this stage of the rebuild? It’s a square peg in a round hole.

Besides, before we go on, I should let you know that I am of the opinion that Luongo is a top 15-20 goalie in the NHL. A legitimate starter capable of winning you games, but not a top 5 or 6 goalie like some feel.

Think about guys like Kiprusoff, Lundqvist, Rinne, Quick, Backstrom, Halak, Miller, Price, Rask, Thomas, even goalies like Howard, Niemi etc. All of whom are at least as good as Lunogo, if not handily better.

If you disagree with my assessment of Luongo then that’s a different argument altogether. I’m looking at a guy who’s play has slipped significantly over the last 2 years. A butterfly goalie who isn’t so quick to get back up and doesn’t move around as well as he used to. Some goalies age like fine wine, Luongo is not some goalies.

I like Schneider. Of all the less proven guys in the league he’s right up there. But his numbers, like Luongo’s are inflated from playing on a stacked team. I don’t think Schneider is the best goalie in hockey like his numbers indicate, but ya he is very good.

Schneider kind of headlines the “potential” list that features the likes of Bernier, Holtby, Reimer, even Rask is really better suited for this list. Anders Lindback would be another guy who could be great, but the sample size is too small for all these goalies.